Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Yellow Rock

Duration: 9 Hours

Difficulty (1-10): 7

Departure Times: Year-round: 8:30am (6am in the hotter months)  

Recommended Abilities: This trip requires a minimum 5.5 miles of hiking, much of it up and back down a steep trail with loose footing and also some mild scrambling. The tour is not recommended for small children or the elderly. Remember this trip will feel even more difficult in the summer heat. If you are in doubt of your abilities, we offer many other spectacular trips that are physically easier. This is a physically demanding outing.

Permit Required: No special permit is required for this tour.

*Tour Prices include all sales taxes & base guide gratuities.

Description

The Hiker’s Dream Tour is our answer to a commonly asked question: “I want to see the heart of Grand Staircase Escalante; where should I go?” – the answer is: it depends. With just over a million acres, Grand Staircase Escalante is massive and cannot possibly be seen in a day… but we’ll take you straight to some of our favorites. With the Hiker’s Dream Tour, we’ll get you out of the truck and deep into Grand Staircase Escalante’s most iconic spots.  

Yellow Rock

For Yellow Rock our hike starts in Cottonwood Canyon and climbs a steep, rocky trail. We will gain almost 1,000 feet in elevation before we reach the top. The hike is strenuous but the rewards are great as a view of the Vermilion, White and Gray Cliffs of the Grand Staircase are revealed. See Castle Rock, Mollie’s Nipple and get a bird’s eye view of the famous Cockscomb.

There will be plenty of time for photography and roaming the enormous sandstone slope before heading back down the steep trail. We’ll likely see few others during our excursion.

The Rimrock Hoodoos

Next, we’ll drive to the Rimrock Hoodoos to get up close and personal with ancient stone toadstools. The outlandish terrain feels like something out of Alice in Wonderland where boulders balance precariously on columns of sandstone.

Unlike the more popular Toadstools hike on Highway 89, this secret spot is seldom visited and marked by dozens of remarkable hoodoos. The hoodoo hike is about 2 miles, and it involves some mild scrambling. 

FAQ´s

1. How much hiking will I have to do to see Yellow Rock and the Rimrock Hoodoos?

Yellow Rock itself only requires about 3 miles of hiking, but those miles pack a punch.  You’ll be ascending a 1000ft steep slope with difficult footing in order to get to Yellow Rock. Yellow Rock itself is a big dome; the most stunning color patches are well below its summit, but if you’d like to scramble to the top in order to enjoy great views of Grand Staircase you are looking at another ~300ft of ascent on slickrock. Good footwear and a daypack to carry water are a must; trekking poles with rubber tips are highly recommended. 

The Rimrock Hoodoos are a 2 mile roundtrip hike that’s mostly flat – save for one steep scrambly section that is not to be underestimated. 

2. How much time is spent driving vs. hiking on this tour? 

This is one of our more active tours and you will spend considerable time out of the car. It’s about a 1 hour and 20 minute drive to the Yellow Rock trailhead from Kanab. So about 2 hours and 40 minutes are spent driving and more than 6 hours are spent out of the car hiking and exploring. 

3. I am staying in Page. Where can we meet?

We offer pick-up service to any hotel or vacation rental in Kanab, Utah, but we do not pick up in Page, Arizona. If you are staying in Page, we can arrange a meeting point halfway between Page and Kanab. For this tour, we would meet you at the intersection of Highway 89 and Cottonwood Road, about 40 minutes west of Page. If you book the 8 a.m. time slot, that is the time the tour leaves Kanab. We would pick you up between 8:45 and 9 a.m. at the Cottonwood Canyon Road. We are based in Utah and operate on Utah time. During daylight savings time, it is one hour later in Utah than it is in Arizona. 

4. Is there a bathroom on this tour?

There are no facilities on this trip. At any time, you may duck behind a tree or bush for privacy. Bury all solid waste. There is toilet paper, hand wipes and plastic bags in each truck. If you choose to use toilet paper, please place it in a plastic baggie and throw it in the trash bag at the truck. It cannot be buried or left on the ground.

5. Do you offer sunrise or sunset tours at Yellow Rock?

The aspect of Yellow Rock’s prime color patches aspect are not ideal for sunset and some of the best photography at Yellow Rock is actually at mid-day – though sunrise can be beautiful too . We love desert adventure as much as we love photography, and we have the ability to make an unforgettable sunrise adventure happen if you are keen on getting up really early. Call us at (435) 644-5506 to discuss custom options. If you are looking for a sunset spot, you may like our Sunset Safari Tour. 

6. Are drones allowed on this tour?

Yellow Rock falls in the Paria-Hackberrry Wilderness Study Area and the Rimrock Hoodoos are in The Cockscom Wilderness Study Area. Even though drones are not expressly prohibited in wilderness study areas (like they are in Wilderness), please be mindful of the wilderness character of these areas. When operating a drone on tours, please be mindful of other guests on the tour and other hikers who may be in the area. People seek remote locations for the solitude. Please do not fly drones close to other people and limit the amount of time the drone is in the air. Always follow instructions from your guide.